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Saelic World Order
The Saelic World Order is a term used to describe the state of world affairs at the height of the Saelic Empire's power, influence, and hegemony. Between 239 and 102 SA, the Saelic Empire was effectively the only centralized polity in the Known World, holding the vast majority of its territory in Western Dyonia with some holdings in Southern Cane. There existed no rival kingdoms until the formation of the Kingdom of the Jersers in 103 SA and even then, it posed little threat to the Saelans, whose strong-Emperor style of governance ensured its role as the world's first superpower for over two centuries. Characterized by a period of relative peace, the Saelic World Order spawned world conventions that are now taken for granted. The Western Dyonian script, used in the Saelic language, was adopted by the Canish peoples and became the de facto writing system for the Cittish and Haralish languages. The Saelic language, due to its use in global trade, became the de facto lingua franca for merchants and peddlers. The language is also a liturgical language for the Pentualist and Kelsic faiths. The political legacy of the Saelic Empire was less pronounced; the strong-Emperor, council system of government was rarely seen in the kingdoms that arose after the Empire's fall in 1 NA. which gravitated to feudalistic systems where the king (or queen) held nominal power but was still beholden to his lords and counsels. Still, some traditions still persisted after the demise of the Saelans, including a guarantee of basic human rights, due process, and codes of honor that have been revised by different cultures. Studying the Saelic World Order has been the task of numerous scholars and professors who have attempted to understand the sources of the Saelic Empire's power, how it captured it, and why no other kingdom of polity has since matched its strength. This study is considered part of the greater field of Saelaeology, the study of Saelans and Saelic culture. Rise Prior to 350 SA, Saela was a small village and trading post located between the Afonis River. Its location on the river made it accessible to merchants who began settling the town in large numbers. Governance of Saela at this time began to evolve from a loose council of elders mixed with citizen rule to a prototype of the imperial government that Saela became famous for. The title of "Prfitan" was created which acted as an executive chief. Initially directly elected by common folk, the office increased with prestige as the city itself did. The Saelic Kanus (senate) was formed and the power of electing the Priftan was afforded to it. The Kanus consisted of the city's most educated, wealthiest, and most influential men of business and were elected by commoners. Mass expansion of Saela was initiated under the reign of Pf. Nerlen Reimas. He oversaw the conquest of neighboring city-states such as Yumait, Taelma, and Foxtret. His policy of assimilation was unique at the time; he allowed these cities to more or less continue their established ways of life, respecting their customs and religions, on the condition they paid land and trade taxes to Saela and provided men for battle when called. The administrative governments he established in these cities made a point to keep a near-invisible presence as Nerlen believed fear was an ineffective method of governing and because he wished to maintain stability in the conquered areas; making the divide between the new Saelan ruling class and the regular townsfolk as transparent as possible was seen as essential to achieve this goal. Public opinion of the Saelans became favorable after only a few years because of the increased trade opportunities opened to them by the empire and the protection they enjoyed from Saela ever-growing military. Characteristics Slavery Women in Saela Examination